Aggies stun No. 1 Alabama 29-24 in Bryant-Denny

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference has a definitive answer on whether Texas A&M can succeed in its rugged league with an up-tempo offense.

Yes. A resounding yes, in fact.

The Aggies burst to a 20-0 lead and held on tight for a 29-24 victory over top-ranked Alabama before 101,821 stunned fans in Bryant-Denny Stadium. A&M, under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin, likely dashed the Crimson Tide’s hopes of a second consecutive national championship.

The Aggies’ upset came nearly 10 years to the day that A&M toppled No. 1 Oklahoma on Nov. 9, 2002. But that was in the Aggies’ friendly confines of Kyle Field – today’s outcome surprised most everyone but the Aggies themselves, who’ve won three consecutive SEC road games against Auburn, Mississippi State and now Alabama.

“I’m happiest for our seniors,” said Sumlin, hired from Houston last December to resurrect a program that had played .500 ball over the past decade under Dennis Franchione and Mike Sherman.

A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel buoyed his Heisman Trophy hopes, as well, by completing 24 of 31 passes for 253 yards with two touchdown passes. While he was at it Manziel tied for the game high with 92 rushing yards. A&M defensive back Deshazor Everett sealed the victory with an interception on the goal line with 1:36 remaining in the contest.

Following the three road games, A&M returns home to face Sam Houston State this coming Saturday and will close out the regular season with a final home game against Missouri. Alabama lost its first home game since last season against LSU — which also was its last loss en route to the 2011 national title.

They did – but in the end made their first trip to storied Bryant-Denny one they’ll never forget.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama fought to tighten the gap with Texas A&M in the third quarter, but not at the rate it did in the second quarter. And for the second consecutive quarter following an offensive outburst, the Aggies failed to put any points on the board in their quest to upset the Crimson Tide.

A&M did, however, add a 29-yard Taylor Bertolet field goal early in the fourth quarter to build a 23-17 lead in its most important quarter of the season. The Crimson Tide, who trailed 20-14 at halftime, tacked on a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter to close A&M’s lead to 20-17.

A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is 21 of 23 passing for 159 yards, and also has a game-high 90 yards rushing.

Halftime update:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama woke up in the second quarter today and realized it was Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to tighten Texas A&M’s stunning early lead to 20-14 with the bands taking the field at halftime.

Top-ranked Alabama made it a game again with 2-yard touchdown runs by T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy. The Crimson Tide’s scoring drives covered 75 and 67 yards, respectively.

The Aggies led 20-0 in the first quarter on two rushing touchdowns by Christine Michael and a Ryan Swope touchdown catch from Johnny Manziel. A missed extra point by Taylor Bertolet on the final touchdown might prove huge today.

Alabama, the defending national champion, has already surrendered its most points this season, and in the first quarter faced its biggest deficit in two years.

A&M also held halftime leads over Southeastern Conference foes Florida and LSU, both known for their tough defenses, before the Gators and LSU made second-half adjustments and rebounded for three- and five-point victories, respectively.

The Crimson Tide, owner of the nation’s top defense that entered the game allowing nine points per game, didn’t wait until the second half to adjust to A&M’s up-tempo offense – instead they did so in the second quarter in holding A&M scoreless in that frame.

First-quarter update:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In the most surprising start this college season, No. 15 Texas A&M leads top-ranked Alabama 20-0 early in the second quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The Aggies scored on two 1-yard rushing touchdowns by Christine Michael and a 10-yard pass from Johnny Manziel to Ryan Swope. On the touchdown pass, Manziel scrambled out of the pile, lost the ball momentarily when it popped out of his hands, caught it in the air and then found a wide-open Swope in the end zone.

Alabama has already surrendered its most points in a game this season. The Aggies are no stranger to fast starts on the road in their first year in the Southeastern Conference. They jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead at Auburn two weeks ago (in a 63-21 win) and a 24-0 halftime lead at Mississippi State (in a 38-13 win).

The Crimson Tide, last year’s national champion, face their biggest deficit in two years.